Smelting of metals



3 shons-Sheet 2 GILLILAND SIELTING OF IETALS Filed Juno 2, 1947 Flat-III 3' Shoets-Shut 6 E. R. G1LLILAND SIIELTING OF IIETALS ll llllll I I I Oct. 17, 1950 Filed Juno 2, 1947 Patented Oct; 17, 1950 SMELTING OF METALS Edwin R.

Standard Oil ration o! Delaware Gilliland, Arlington, Mass., assignor to Development Company, a corpo- Application June 2, 1947, Serial No. 551360 2 Claims.

This invent on is directed to an improved apparatus for purifyng metals by smelting, and particularly for purifying powdered metals mixed with impurities. The metals, to the puriflcation of which the present invention is directed, are those which are readily oxidizable at elevated temperature, such as iron.

The ordinary open hearth fvrnace is operated with a relatively strong oxidizing atmosphere. The metal is protected from oxidation mainly by the slag. If a metal powder. such as iron. is introduced, it tends to ficat on top of the slag and burn up. If one tries to hold a reducing atmosphere sufficient to be at equilibrium with molten iron saturated with carbon so as not to burn the carbon out of it, the iurnace gases must be practically free of COz and HzO. There .is no readily available fuel gas, the practical combustion of which can produce such a furnace gas with eilicient heat generation.

If one is satisfied with a reducing gas suflicient to prevent oxidation of iron, which will burn the d ssolved carbon out of the iron, one can tolerate more COz and HrO. However, this runs up the meiting point peratures must rise several hundred degrees to keep the metal molten. This rise in temperature reduces the allowable C02 content of the gas but not to the point where use of a highly reducing fuel gas is impossible. In any event, the maintenance of the reducing condition in the atmosphere of the open hearth involves seriously incomplete combustion with correspondingly low efliciency of fuel utilization.

The principal object of the present invention is the provision of an open hearth furnace and an Operating technique which makes possible the melting of powdered impure iron while at the same time permitting maximum utilization of fuel.

An additional object of the present invention is the provision of a process and apparatus of the type indicated in which the carbon content of the purifled' metal can be controlled independently of the combustion required to supply the necessary beat.

A more specific object of the present invention is the provision of apparatus of the type indicated in which the heat required for smelting is supplied by circulating slag through a heating zone and returning it to the furnace proper to carry in the heat required for the operation.

Another object of the present invention is the provision of an open hea-rth furnace hav ng means for continuously withdrawing molten slag from the slag layer, separately heating it and of the iron so that urnace temi returning it to the molten slag layer and provided with an internal Construction which causes movement of the slag layer in the furnace in a deflnite direction.

A further object of the present invention is the provision of a !urnace of the type indicated in which means are provided for feeding impure powdered metal to the molten slag layer at a point adjacent the return of recycled heated slag to said layer and further means are provided for insuring a maximum travel path of the slag layer between the point of recycle return and recycle drawofi to allow maximum time for the Sinking of the impure metal through the slag layer.

Further advantages and objects of the present invention will appear from the following detailed description of the acccmpanying drawing; in which,

Fig. l is a longitudinal horizontal section of a furnace according to the present invention along the line B--B of Fig. 2;

Fig. 2 is a longitudinally vertical section of the same furnace along the line A-A of Fig. 1;

Fig. 3 is a vertical transverse section' of the same furnace along the line C-C of Fig. 1;

Fig. 4 is a vertical transverse section of the same furnace along the line D--D of Fg. 2;

Fig. 5 is a long tudinal horizontal section of a modified form of the furnace shown in Fig. i;

Fig. 6 is a longitudinal vertical section along the line A--A of Fg. 5 with a portion broken away; and

Fig. 7 is an exterior view of the portion of the furnace shown in Fig. 6.

Before describing the drawing in detail, it may be observed that no attempt is made in the drawing to supply details of constructional features which are common in open hearth furnaces. Wherever possible the construction of the furnace is represented schematically, the purpose being merely to illustrate the features of the present invention. Aside from these features, the furnace may be assumed to be the conventional open hearth furnace.

Referring to Fig. 1, numerals I, 2, 3, and E designate the four walls of the furnace defining the bed 5. Arranged substantially down the middle of the furnace is an upright wall 6 which extends from wall i more than half the length of the furnace to a point intermediate the center of the furnace and wall 2. rising from the bed of the furnace to its roof and dividing the bed into two sections 'I and 8. Wall 4 has on one side a vertical recess or sump 9. This sump is of any desired depth and has its open upper end terminating in the inner face of wall dt its lower of appropriate co inner end of 'fine ti' wh inlets ia for combustible gas'ani a. slot or. opening tionwhch forms the -zlreceivescombustionend the sump sprema@ gases from combustion chamben-lz nroyidedwith i combustion supporting gas.

v ,m te Itwill-beunderstood u that these gases can be mixedoutside the comw i bustion zone and introduced throughfla single ;Z inlet, the arrangement-shown being intended-fer uniform distribution of combustion--materia in the combustion zone.

Because of ,the high temperatures' generated-by the combustion of the fuel gas, the employment I readily be, avoided by introducing the air and *the combustion gas, each suitably preheated, sepaa ccmbustion chamberoutside the furnace;:' such as !2, may createsome difiiculty. This can rately into the sump and eiiectlng the combus- This is, in fact, the preclined spillway l which empties into the suxnp. a cowl' Above the sump the end wall carries i? which extends inwardly over the bed and has a rearwardlv inclined skirt ES which terminates just above the normal level of the slag layer and is spaced from the discharge end of the sump. The end wall also carries an overhanging ledge I 9 which serves as a baffie to prevent molten slag from passing upwardlv through the cowl and into the exhaust flue which leads gases away from the cowl.

Closely adjacent the cowl, the roof 2! of the furnace is provided with an inlet pipe 22 for powdered metal. Through this pine additional quantities of slagging constituents, when required, mav be introduced together with the iron. Also alloying constituents such as carbon and other metals may be introduced at this point. This pipe near its discharge end is provided with a cooling jacket 23 which extends through the roof and is provided with an inlet 24 and an outlet 25 for cooling fluid, suitable baflles (not shown) being provided in the jacket to insure circulation of the cooling liquid. At the far end of the furnace from the sump and at the upper end thereof is another ue 26 which serves to draw off gases evolved during the smelting operation or which may be utilized to feed in inert or reducing gases so as to provide a protective blanket over the molten mass.

It will be understood that the furnace is equipped with suitably arranged heating means, which constitute no part of the present invention, for bringing the furnace to reaction temperature. The furnace is charged in the usual manner so as to establish a lower layer 21 of molten metal and an upper layer 28 of slag. Before the slag level reaches the opening I5 of the spillway IG the admission of combustion gases into the sump is started so that as the slag builds up and spills into the sump that portion of it which enters the sump is lifted and simultaneously heated by the combustion gases so that it passes upwardly through the sump and discharges into section 1. When the furnace is in full operation there is a continual movement of slag from section 8 into the sump and back to section 1. 'At this time powdered impure metal is being fed in continuously through pipe 22 in adequate to, give 'the sump -wll depend on the velocity of the gas passing: through it.- -At lower velocities the gas lift will be the slugging type in which spaced slugs 'of melt are iifted by spaced bubbles oi gas. As

the velocity increases `the slugging action tends to disappear and to be replaced by what may be termecl a'creeping action in which the melt clings to the wall of the sump as a film which creeps upwardly underthe influence of the rising gas.

At still higher velocities this film is, in efiect,

' shredded off of the wall of the sump and dispersed di'erent types in the gas as a spray in which condition it travels upwardly. The line of demarcation between these of gas lift is not sharp, one type overlapping into the other type so that at any which the powdered metal is, preferably, maintained in aerated or fiuidized condition. It will be appreciated that the gas used for this aeration given gas velocity tw types of gas lift may he occurring simultaneously. It is preferred, in the practice of the present invention, when combustion is carried out in the sump, to control the velocity so as to achieve gas lift primarily on the creeping principle. This means that the velocity will be Somewhere in the middle portion Of the range' given above.

For a better understanding of the present invention reference is made to the following Operating data for a typical operation in a, furnace ofthe type described in which one ton of iron is smelted per hour. The iron powder is introduced into the furnace at a temperature of 600 C. and the liguid iron is maintained in the furnace at a temperature of 1400 c The slaggng constituents of the feed are in such amount as to produce a hah` ton of molten slag which is also maintained at 1400 C. In this operation the air and fue] gas, in this case methane, are separately preheated, the air being preheated to 1000 C. and the methane to about 400 C. The fiue gases leave the furnace at about 1600 C. V

In this operation approximately 1,300,000 B. t. u.'s are required to heat and melt the iron slag. At the gas temperatures mentioned 1000 cu. ft. of methane produce about 580,000 B. t. u.'s. Thus. in the operation in question, about 2300 cu. ft. of methane are consumed. In the burning of this methane it is desired to raise the temperature of the slag passing through the sump about F. Since the specific heat of the slag is about 0.3, 1 l of slag circulated will carry about 30 B. t. u.'s into the melting zone. Therefore, in this operation about 43,000 lbs. of slag are circulated in order to melt 1 ton of iron. This amount of slag corresponds to about 0.3 1b./cu. ft. of com- .bustion gases taking into account the amount of air required to burn the methane to CO2. Thus there is an ample gas flow to circulate the required quantity of slag and to raise its temperature the desired amount. If the operation is so conducted as to impart a smaller rise in temperature to the circulated slag, the circulation rate must be correspondingly greater. Conversely if the operation is conducted with a larger temperature rise of the circulated slag the circulation rate can be o p n ing y less.

Invthe embodiment shown in Figs. 5, 6 and 7, heat is imparted to the circulated slag without employing the gas lift principle. In these figures, parts corresponding to those appearing in the preceding figures bear the same numerals.- As with the previous furnace, the main portion of the furnace has a furnace bed 5 deflned by walls I, 2, 3 and 4 with a partition 6 extending from the center of wall 4 down the middle of the furnace' bed to a point adjacent wall 2. In this case, however, the sump is omitted and instead a chamber 29 is provided behind wall 4, this chamber being substantially coextensive with the main body of the furnace.

ranged so as to be in about the mid portion` ot the slag layer whereb slag continuously runs from the slag layer into the chamber 29, therefore the liquid level in chamber 29 will normally tend to be the same as that in the furnace proper. That portion of wall 3 which forms a, wall of chamber 29 is provided with a horizontal row of ports :I so located as to normally be below the liquid level in 'chamber 29. These nozzles may be on the same level as, or above orbelow, the slot 30.

That portion of wall 4 which is in section 1 has its upper edge 32 cut away so as to be slightly below the normal liquid level in section 'I and chamber -29.' Flow is set up from section a through chamber 29 to section 1 by the velocity of combustiongases entering chamber 29 through ports 3 i These gases set up a wave action which causes liquid to flow from chamber 29 to section 1.- As the gases progress across the chamber 29 they naturally tend to rise and leave the melt, passing upwardly through cowl I'I and out through' exhaust pipe 20. The skirt IB of the cowl is suitabiy arranged so as effectively to prevent the passage of combustion gases into the main body of the furnace. In the event that it is desired to insure complete mixing and combustion ,of the gases entering chamber 29, a hood may be arranged over the inner ends of the nozzles 3l in this chamber with the nozzles disposed above the normal liquid level in the chamber' and the exhaust vent of the ber below the normal liquid level therein so that the burn'ed gases leaving the hood must pass through the melt.

It will be apparent that the apparatus illustrated is amenable to considerable chan in detaii without suffering any change in essential character. While the particular embodiments illustrated possess many unique features of construction and arrangement o! paris, it is possible to design a suitable apparatus entirely different in appearance and general organization from that illustrated while still utilizihg the principle of supplying heat to the smelting operation by circulating slag through a separate heating 'zone and' returning it to the furnace bed. such changes in design and arrangement are contenpated within the scope of the present invention.

The oregoing description has been directed to the puriflcatiorot powdered iron. It will be That portion of wall 4 which-is in section a is' provided with a transverse slot or opening 30 arhood transversely arranged across the cham-.

and useful and is desired to be secured by Letters Patent is:

1. An open hearth furnace of the character described comprising in combination a floor, side walla and end walls forming an'elongated melting chamber, an upright wall extending from an end wall to a point intermediate the center of said melting chamber and the opposite end wall, said upright wall extending to said floor and being disposed substantially down the middle of said melting chamber, whereby said chamber is di- .vided into .two sections, a sump compartment disposed outside said first-named end wall and in close proximity thereto, said'compartment being W supplied with conduit means for introduction of combustion gases, a combustion chamber adapted v to the combustion of natural gas, conduit means communicating from said combustion chamber to'said' sump compartment adapted to the passage of combustion gas to said combustion chamber, conduit means in said first-named end wall terminating in one of said sections and spaced sub'stantially above said floor in communication with said adjacent compartment and adapted for the continuous Withdrawal of a stream of slag from one section of said melting chamber, a seci ond conduit in said wall in communication with said other section and said compartment, and adapted to returning heated slag to said other section of said melting chamber, means for adding powdered metal to said melting chamber, and a cowl member extending from said first-named end wall and spaced from the discharge end oisaid sump compartment, which is adapted to convey combustion gases out of said furnace.

2. An open hearth furnace of the character described comprising in combination, a floor, side wails and end walls forming an elongated melting chamber, an upright .wall extending from an end wall to a point intermediate the center of said melting chamber and the opposite end wall, said wall extending to said floor and being disposed substantially down the middle of said melting chamber, whereby said chamber is divided into two sections, a sump compartment disposed outside said end wall from which said upright wall extends, said sump compartment being in close proximity to said end wall, said compartment being supplied with conduit means for introduction of combustion gases, conduit means in said first-named end wall, one end of which conduit means terminates in one of said sections substantially above said floor, said conduit means communicating with said sump compartment and adapted to the continuous withdrawal of a stream of slag from one section of .said melting chamber, a second conduit means in said wall in communication with said other section and said sump compartment, and adapted to returning heated slag to said other section oi said melting chamber, means for adding powdered V metal to said melting chamber and means for conveying', combustion gases out of said urnace. EDWIN' R. GILLILAND.

, file otthis patent:

appreciated that the principles under-lying the methoddescribed are appiicabl'e to any casewhere purifled by smelting. s

The-nahrca'dobjects having been thusdeand ilhstrated, what is claimed as new UNITED PATENTS 

